Tours in Review | International Travel News

May 2005 issue

Bhutan with Lingkor Tours & Treks

We took a most memorable 8-day tour of Bhutan in September ’04, thanks to the efforts of Lingkor Tours & Treks (P.O. Box 202, Thimphu, Bhutan; phone 975-2-323417, fax 975-2-323402, e-mail trepatsang@aol.com or visit www.lingkor.com). A Buddhist monk referred us to Lingkor and through e-mail we set up a customized itinerary with Tenga at Lingkor before leaving the U.S.

We elected to do a tour for two persons, even though the government-set cost ($230 per person per day) would be more than the cost of joining a larger group. One of our priorities was to learn more of Bhutan’s...

October 2005 issue

China with Grand Circle Travel

I had not been on an organized tour for over 30 years, preferring cruising and my own disorganized independent travel, but I decided that China was a place where I would be more comfortable relying on the expertise of a company like Grand Circle Travel (347 Congress St., Boston, MA 02210; phone 800/837-4735 or visit www.gct.com). Our 21-day trip, March 4-25, ’04, was the first “China and the Yangtze River Tour” conducted by GCT in almost a year after the outbreak of SARS.

For being the first group of the season, we went for the low price of $2,685, including air from most major...

February 2006 issue

Malaysia with Eldertreks

Eldertreks (597 Markham St., Toronto, ON M6G 2L7, Canada; phone 800/741-7956 or visit www.eldertreks.com) hosted my 20-day trip to BORNEO, Malaysia. It cost $2,195, not including international air; my total airfare from Denver was $1,461.

I traveled in October ’04, which was in the dry season, so it rained only in the mornings (in monsoon season it rains all day).

Our group of 11 was quite compatible and indefatigable; not one soul missed anything.

The hotels were comfortable and well located, although the Lemanak River Longhouse and the Turtle Island lodgings were...

April 2006 issue

Italy with Patty’s Places

My wife, Felice, and I have traveled to Europe six times in the last seven years with Patty’s Places (1251 NW 195th St., Seattle, WA 98177; 800/775-3861 or www.pattysplaces.com). As a result, we have learned a great deal about Ireland, Portugal, Spain, Italy and Turkey. On our 3-week tour to southern Italy, March 9-30, ’05, we got to know a lot more about Sicily.

First, though, we started in Naples and visited Herculaneum before driving up to Mt. Vesuvius. Then we stopped at Paestum. Those three places offered a good feel for southern Italy. From there, we made our way to Palermo,...

August 2006 issue

Tunisia with Adventure Center

A British company that I like is Exodus (Grange Mills, Weir Road, London, SW12 0NE, England; phone +44 [0] 20 8675 . . . From the U.S., book with Adventure Center, 1311 63rd St., Ste. 200, Emeryville, CA 94068; 800/227-8747). They offer basic travel that tries to give you a real flavor of the country.

My week-long Tunisia tour, Feb. 11-19, ’06, cost $975, including the local payment (collected by the tour leader at the start of the trip to pay for expenses that cannot be prebooked) and some meals. Round-trip airfare on Alitalia, San Francisco-New York-Milan-Tunis, cost $1,121.

December 2006 issue

Tour of Nicaragua

NICARAGUA When I was able to get about a week off of work, I decided to take a quick trip to one of the Central or South American countries I had not yet traveled to. After doing some research on the Web, I settled on Nicaragua, since it is relatively close and has a fascinating combination of natural beauty (volcanoes) and colonial cities.

I made all of my in-country tour arrangements via e-mail with Richard Leonardi, General Manager of Tours Nicaragua (Reparto Serrano, Plaza Barcelona #5, Managua, Nicaragua; phone 011-505-270-8417, fax 505-278-7851 or visit www.toursnicaragua.com...

May 2005 issue

Scotland with Rabbie’s Trail Burners

We would second the recommendation (Aug. ’04, pg. 67) of Rabbie’s Trail Burners (207 High St., Edinburgh EH1 1PE, Scotland; phone + [0] 44 131 226 3133 or visit www.rabbies. com).

We took the 5-day/4-night trip which include Iona, Mull and the Isle of Skye, June 14-18, ’04, and had a wonderful experience viewing the magnificent scenery, learning about the history of the area and enjoying local hospitality. The basic tour cost £189 (near $363); with a senior discount it was £169 ($325).

Rabbie’s books any kind of accommodation you want, from a hostel to a B&B to a 3-star...

October 2005 issue

England with HF Holidays

An excellent organization for anyone interested in walking in Britain is HF Holidays (Imperial House, The Hyde, Edgeware Road, London, NW9 5AL, U.K.; phone + 44 [0] 20 8905 9556 or e-mail info@hfholidays.co.uk. . . or book through Teachers’ Travel Service, Ltd., 21 St. Clair Ave. East, Ste. 1003, Toronto, Ont., M4T 1L9, Canada; phone 800/268-7229 or e-mail info@teacherstravel.com).

My wife, Helen, and I have done all sorts of trips to Britain and Ireland in the past 10-plus years, including group tours, a narrowboat trip, touring on our own in a rental car and short walks as...